Car-coupling.



Patehted octlzs'. I900.

A. E. MILLS.

.CAR COUPLING. [Applicatiomflled 4;; 1a, 1900.

( No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT EARNEST MILLS, OF BRANXHOLME, VICTORIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,520, dated October 23, 1900.

Application fil d April 12. 1900. Serial No. 12,623. \No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT EARNEST MILLS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Branxholme, in the Colony of Victoria, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide a car-coupling of simple construction of the class having one or more hooks and links and wherein the shunter or railway employee is not required to place his body between the rails or buffers in order either to uncouple or to couple the cars. The coupling of the hooks and links will take place automatically when any two cars which are fitted with this invention meet together, if those parts of the couplings are in certain positions, as hereinafter explained. I may make use of either a single hook and link at each end of each car or of more, such as three books and three links at each such end, and I will now describe my invention by reference to the accompanying illustrations, which show the triple arrangement, and from the said drawings and de-' scription the single book and link arrangement will also be readily understood.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the adjoining ends of two cars coupled together. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation, partly in section, of parts in Fig. 1, but with the carriages uncoupled and the coupling-links raised. Fig. 3 is an end elevation, partly in section, showing part of one car with the coupling thereto affixed.

In all the figures the same letters of reference indicate like parts.

To the car ends are attached the series of draw-bars, (marked 04,) each retained in its normal position by a spring at the back of the buffer-beam, as usual, (springs are not shown,) the outer end of each draw-bar constituting a hook I), having a convex or a plane inclined outer edge against which a coupling-link f, projecting from an adjoining car, is (when the cars approach closely enough) adapted to strike and thereupon slide upwardly till the outer end of the link drops into the recess of the book. At the moment when this drop occurs the buffers will be compressed together, I

and any subsequent lessening of said compression will cause the link end to seat itself in the lower part of the said hook-recess. I may vary the relative proportions of the parts in the construction of my coupling so as to obtain the best working results, and I prefer to make the side hooks and links each lighter than the central ones. The back wall 0 of each hook-recess is also a convex or plane incline in configuration, so that should the link end slide up out of the hook recess, owing to pressure on the buffers, it will not fail to return to that recess when such pressure isremoved. Meanwhile it simply slides on the part 0, its weight keeping it down. A transverse shaft 6 passes horizontally and loosely through holes in the draw-bars, the said shaft when there are several hooks being in parts, one to each hook, these parts being permanently jointed together, the joints y, Fig. 3, being such that all parts of shaft 6 will turn when any part is turned. Firmly secured to shaft 6 are coupling-links f, the legs of each link meeting the shaft 6, one on each side of and close to the draw-bar. The fore ends of the links fare enlarged and rounded, thereby increasing the weight at those ends and also allowing sufficient play of the parts when coupled to avoid undue rigidity under working conditions, the joints y also allowing the linksfto moveto some extent out of parallel (in plain View) with one another, the said freedom of movement tending to insure secure coupling. a

In order to keep the coupling-links in particular positions as required from time to time, means are provided for turning each shaft 6 and securing it in the required positions. An eccentric-block 0a, with straps, is firmly se cured to the said shafting, while another or secondary shaft cl, which is journaled to suitable bearings attached to the car and is parallel with shaft 2, has also a similar eccentricblock a fitted to it, the two eccentrics being joined by a connecting-rod w. Over an end of shaft d a spring, as g, is so arranged as to normally keep that shaft in the position seen in the drawingsthat is, locked against any but slight turning movement, as will be hereinafter explained.

h is a lever attached to one end of shaft d, and by pressure on lever h the shaft dis movable longitudinally, the spring g being compressed between lever h and one of the bearings i of the shaft d. At the opposite end of shaft-d is a lever or wheel it, having a tooth or projection j, which enters normally one or other of a number of corrugations or suitable recesses in a plate or curved rack m, attached to the car. The shaft dis therefore normally locked,.spring g requiring to be compressed before the toothj will be caused to leave the recess in the rack by which it is secured in position.

I prefer to arrange the parts so that shaft 01 may be in practice turned by forcibly moving the lever h at one end or wheel or leverk at the other in the direction shown by arrow in Fig. 2, that action causing the tooth j to ride over the corrugations and compressing the spring without the necessity of a deliberate pressure or pull longitudinally on the shaft.

In the drawings one wheel is is shown in each figure, the opposite car showing a lever instead, which is a simpler construction.

According as shaft (1 is turned so will shaft 6 be turned in consequence of the connection between them, and said connection may be by means of cranks and a rod instead of eccentrics and a rod, if desired. In the use of this invention the part h or 7c is so adjusted by hand that when two uncoupled carriages are to be coupled together the links fof one car shall be horizontal, or approximately so, so as to meet and engage with the exterior inclined convex surfaces of the hooks of the other car, as already referred to. The links f of both cars could be in the ready-to-couple position, if desired; but it is usually preferable to keep one set of links in reserve by allowing them either to hang down from shaft 6 or by keeping them up behind shaft d, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. shaft d would need unshipping before the links could be lowered.

In the latter case the The small amount of play which the links f require when the carriages come together in order that they may immediately couple is allowed for by giving projection 3' room to move sufficiently in each recess in rack m or in some (to the ordinary mechanic) well-known equivalent manner.

To uncouple the carriages, the wheel or the like It or the lever 72 must be turned until the projectionj is carried into another recess of the rack, this at the same time causing the shafts d and e to turn and forcing up the coupled linksffree from the hooks b. The links may then, if desired, be left raised, as in Fig. 2, or may be further raised till almost vertical and be there left locked until the wheel 75 or lever h is again operated by an attendant.

It will be understood that so long as the spirit of my invention is not departed from I do not limit the same to those minor details of construction of which modifications may be easily made by the use of ordinary mechanical skill.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

In a car-coupler, the combination with a draw-head provided at one end 'with a hook, the front face of said hook being inclined; of a shaft passing transversely through said draw-head in rear of said hook, alink rigidly secured to said shaft, an eccentric mounted upon said shaft, a counter-shaft monnted adjacent to said transverse shaft also provided with an eccentric, means for operating said counter-shaft from both sides of the car, and a connection between the eccentric upon the transverse shaft and the eccentric upon the counter-shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT EARNEST MILLS.

Witnesses:

G. G. Tums, W. H. OUBLEY. 

